Across Spacetime
by Trevaacin
Summary: When two black holes collide deep in the cosmos, it creates a ripple in the fabric of spacetime, transporting two pilots to another universe entirely. Confused as hell and convinced they're trapped behind enemy lines, will the two be able to survive the chaos that is Dragon Ball Z? Beta Reader needed.
1. Collision Course

_**A/N:**_ _So I've had this idea for a while now and decided I'd give it a shot, will probably continue my other stories later but really wanted to write this. Also if anyone is interested in being a beta reader for either this or another story, PM me. So I think that about covers it, so let's begin._

 _For reference_

" **English dialogue** "

"Japanese dialogue"

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing_

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Collision Course**

The black hole. Easily an icon of space itself, the immense power and mystery of these bodies has inspired countless stories since their discovery less than a century ago, and their properties continue to baffle physicists to this day. An object of infinite density, where more matter than would be contained in over ten of our suns compressed into a single point, a singularity. Its gravity so vast, not even light can escape, no signal can possibly travel into a black hole and return with even a shred of data. Within the boundaries of this colossal structure, theories like General Relativity and Quantum Mechanics fly out the window, and one fundamental force trumps all others, the strong, weak, and electromagnetic force alike falling subservient to gravity. Due to its incomprehensible density, the mere presence of a black hole creates a hole in the fabric of spacetime itself. So what if two black holes collided with one another. The ripples in reality, much like when a drop of water hits the surface of a pond, would radiate across the universe, and, for a fraction of a second, weaken spacetime itself, creating countless possibilities. Such is the nature of the largest objects in all the cosmos.

* * *

 _The Pacific. July 8, 1943_

Blue. As Tom gazed out, watching from the back of the B-24 he was currently assigned to, that was the first impression of his surroundings. The dark blue of the ocean, and light blue of the sky, mixing in a haze far off in the horizon. If he looked closely, he could just make out the forms of the other planes as they too sped towards their destination, each loaded with several pounds of bombs of their own. But aside from them, the skies were empty, calm, waiting almost. As if they knew what was to come.

Tom took a deep breath, attempting to calm his nerves, and shut out the images of what he knew was to come, but it was no use. Visions of the war flooded through his mind, of machine gun fire strafing their vulnerable planes, as they dropped load after load of bombs to spread hellfire below. Soon the sky would be black with smoke and fire, and explosions would ring out in the now calm air. Such was the nature of war.

But now wasn't the time to think about that. He had to be brave. For his parents. For his brother, who had been killed aboard the _Arizona_ a little over a year ago. Tom was doing this for him. When he had received word of his brother's death, on that dreadful day that would live in infamy, Tom had been first in the recruitment lines, first to answer Roosevelt's call to arms. He could pursue his dreams of being a translator after the war, his country needed him. His brother needed him. The free world needed him. After all, what was a single life in the war or end all wars?

And now, the moment was at hand. Tom had yet to see front line combat before today. He'd been assigned to a military base, where he received and sent coded messages. Supply routes, troop movements, that sort of thing. He spoke multiple languages, and as Japanese was one of them, Tom had been asked to help with the effort to crack Japan's code. But it wasn't enough to help behind the scenes. Tom wanted to fight, like his brother would have, had he not died on the first act of the war. So he'd asked to be transferred, to be allowed to see frontline combat. To fight and die, like his friend Peter had at Midway. And one day, his superiors agreed. So here he was. But in the moment, he was beginning to regret it. Maybe it would have been a better idea to stay with intel.

" **Losing your nerves, Tom**?" the tail gunner, Joe, said from beside him, grinning, " **we're all going to die eventually, but this way we get to take those dirty Japs with us!** "

Tom shook his head, " **I'm not ready to kick the bucket just yet, I'm sure there's a way we can survive this day. It's just one raid.** "

Joe chuckled, " **Well, you know what they say. When there's a will, there's a way. And we've got two Wills…** "

" **And therefore two ways.** " Tom finished, unable to hide the smile on his face. At least his friends were there for him in this dark hour.

" **Hey!** " Will Sakowitz called from the middle of the aircraft, " **I don't care if you're the only radio operator on this hunk of scrap metal, one more pun on my name and I pushing the both of you out with the bombs!** "

" **Yeah!** " agreed Will Baker, " **Will you please cut it out?** "

" **Dammit Will, you're supposed to be on my side!** "

" **Hey, I'm just on whatever side gives me more entertainment, no offense.** "

Joe turned back to the expanse of the sea, the grin never leaving his face as he did so, and pulled a cigarette from his pocket, lighting it and taking a puff before glancing at Tom for the moment.

" **You want one? Helps with the nerves.** "

" **No thanks. I don't smoke.** "

Will Sakowitz, who had come over to them over the course of their conversation, answered that, " **Heh. Trust me kid, after a while in the navy you'll be smoking too, we all do.** "

" **You're not that much older than me. I'm nineteen, and I've been in the Navy just as long as you have Will.** "

" **Perhaps, but while you were working behind lines cracking codes, I've been on the front lines, this whole time. Seen things most men don't dream of in their lifetimes. War ages you kiddo, in one and a half short years I've matured more than in my entire lifetime.** "

" **Well, that's a… pleasant thought.** "

" **Men, stop bickering!** " John called from the cockpit, " **We're only a few minutes out from Wake Island, get to your stations, enough idle talk! You're in a war, act like it. Now move it!** "

" **Yes sir!** " the men replied as they scurried off to their positions. Joe adjusted his seat slightly, putting out the cigarette he was smoking as he placed his hands on the trigger of the gun. Tom stashed his code book in its compartment and climbed down to the belly of the plane to man the gun located there, and what he saw there made his heart skip a beat.

" **I've got three Zeroes, incoming!** " he yelled as the sound of gunfire began to fill the air, the first thuds echoing as planes reached their targets, but all of this Tom filtered out as his focus locked on the three fighters converging on their plane.

" **Three?!** "

" **You heard me!** " Tom shouted over the roar of his own turret firing, pouring rounds at the three planes each time they came in range on their arcs. But they were just too fast. He watched with anticipation as a Wildcat detached itself from a group of bombers to their right to help them, desperately trying to outmaneuver the faster Japanese planes.

" **Gah! I can't get a good hit on those bastards!** " Joe shouted up from above, recoiling slightly as machine gun fire ripped through the floor just to his side. That was too close.

Outside, the battle was heating up, as a second Allied plane, this time a Mustang, joined the dogfight. Tom cursed as his shots flew wide, each missing their targets by mere inches. He swung his gun, his fingers growing white as he squeezed the trigger, firing round after round at the much faster fighters circling their craft. The planes circled again and again, but even if Tim managed to hit one, it was only ever a glancing shot. One a foot behind the cockpit, another on the tip of the wing. Nothing that could bring the planes down, nothing that could even slow them down.

" **We've reached our target!** " He heard Will say from above him, " **Now let's drop these bad boys and we're home free!** "

From Tom's position below the plane, he had a bird's eye view of the bombs as they fell to their destinations below, lighting up with a sickening boom as they tore through the Japanese airfield. He allowed a smile to cross his face. Now all they had to do was return back to Midway and the whole ordeal would be over. Until the next raid, of course, but that wasn't important right now. There was only his surroundings now, only the battle at hand.

One of the Zeroes flew into his sight, the Mustang in close pursuit. Tom held his fire this time around, swinging his gun in a similar fashion to what a hunter would do when shooting at game. And then, when the enemy fighter was lined up in his sights, he fired. A barrage of bullets tore through the plane. They ripped through the front section, and in a ball of fire the engine ceased and the propellers stopped, the plane tilting downward into a nosedive as it plummeted down to the Pacific below.

" **Yes! I got one!** " Tom shouted, pumping one fist into the air in his excitement, momentarily forgetting the dire situation he was in as relief overcame his adrenaline filled system. Maybe, just maybe, they stood a chance.

Tom's glee was interrupted as another voice rang from above, this time John's. " **Agh! I'm hit! They've strafed the cockpit!** "

" **How bad is it?** " Will shouted in response, struggling to be heard above the sounds of the war around them.

" **Pretty bad, I took a bullet to the shoulder! I'm better off than Charlie though, he's down for the count. A few bullets in the gut and legs, it looks like. I'm going to dive lower and see if we can shake these sons of a-** "

He never got to finish what he was saying, as an explosion ripped through the midsection of the plane, a spray of gunfire having set off one of the bombs in the bomb bays. The plane shook, its momentum ceasing and beginning to stall. And then it began to fall.

" **Shit!** " Tom swore as he raced back to the main section of the plane as it buckled, being torn apart as it fell from the sky down to the sea below.

Up above it was a mess, the floor littered in shrapnel, a gaping hole near where Will Sakowitz had been, the man himself nowhere to be found. Tom looked around frantically, clutching to a wall for dear life as the sea grew closer and closer.

" **Joe!** " He called to the only other man he could find near him as the tail section broke completely from the rest of the plane, " **what are we going to do?** "

" **Well, we're still flying half a ship.** " he said with a morbid grin, " **I guess this is where it ends, huh,** " casting a glance to the fire streaking from the sides of their fragmenting plane.

" **Dammit!** " Tom cursed to himself as he faced his death, " **I did all this just to make my brother proud, and I can't even survive my first combat mission…** " a tear rolled down his cheek, " **I'm sorry Sam, I failed you…** "

And then something odd happened. There was a slight shift in the air around them, barely noticeable, the air they were plummeting seeming to change in an indescribable way.

Tom's life flashed before his eyes, oblivious to the peculiarities around him, moment after moment playing like a movie as he watched all the highlights of his life. All the good. All the bad. Everything in between. In those few short moments Tom saw every waking moment of his short, nineteen year long life. And then it was over. Or so he thought.

As the aircraft, now no more than a rapidly deteriorating shell, impacted the water, everything seemed to shift, to sway, and then they were somewhere else entirely.

* * *

 _Mt. Paozu. Age 761_

Atop a hill surrounded by the wilderness, a father and his son lay on the grass, looking up at the stars above. A gentle breeze blew across, rippling through the grass and cooling them in the calm summer night.

"Hey dad," the boy spoke up, his eyes never leaving the starry expanse above.

"Yeah Gohan?" his father replied.

"What do you think is out there?"

"Out where?"

"In the stars Dad. You know, like other planets. Aliens, that sort of stuff."

"I dunno Gohan, I've never met an alien before."

"Of course you haven't Dad. Why would an alien want to come all the way out to Earth?"

"Yeah, I guess that's true. But come to think of it, Piccolo does look pretty different from most animals and people here, but I'm pretty sure that's because he's a demon."

"Didn't you tell me Kami is green too?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that. I wonder why…"

They fell silent for a moment, both gazing at the cosmos that surrounded them. Far from any cities, the stars shone without interference, blanketing the sky with their lights in various constellations.

"Hey dad, you wanna make a wish on a shooting star?"

"Sure, what kind of wish?'

"Anything, really."

"You mean like with the dragon balls?"

"Yeah, but this is more fun."

"I dunno about that Gohan, Shenron is pretty cool…"

"Come on Dad, do you want to or not?"

"Sure, let's find one! Hold on, I think I see one! Wait…"

"Yeah?"

"I'm not sure, but it feels like there's two ki signatures in that star!"

"You mean, like, people are in it?"

"Yeah, that's exactly it, it's gonna crash too!"

"You think they might be aliens?"

"I dunno son, but I'm gonna go help them out"

And without another word, Goku took to the skies towards the rapidly plummeting "star". What he saw when he arrived there confused him even more. Two men, a few years younger than himself, were lying unconscious inside a hollow piece of metal, each clutching to it as they did so. He wasted no time trying to figure out what was going on (not that it would have helped, the entire situation had Goku utterly confused) and flew below the hull, catching it with difficulty and began slowly lowering the wreckage to the ground.

When Goku touched down, he found his son already waiting for him , having followed on foot.

"What is it Dad?"

"I dunno son, you tell me. If it's some kind of spaceship it's an awfully strange on, and it looks like it took some pretty bad hits too."

"Are those two guys alright?"

"They're alive, I can still sense their ki. It looks like they hit their heads or something, so I think they'll be awake soon."

And right he was in that regard. A few minutes later, while Goku and Gohan were still discussing the possibilities of what had happened, Tom and Joe woke up, groaning as they regained their bearings.

" **Tom… what happened?** " Joe moaned while he struggled to pull himself to his feet, using his broken turret as leverage.

" **I don't know Joe, I could've sworn we were about to crash into the ocean, but now it looks like we're on land. It's night too, but I could've sworn it was daytime.** "

" **Yeah, it wasn't even noon yet when we reached Wake Island.** "

" **I don't get it, this is all confusing, we should be dead, and yet, here we are… somewhere.** "

" **Tom, you're pretty good with languages, right?** "

" **Yeah, why?** "

" **Those two guys are trying to say something to us in some other language. I don't know what they're saying, but it sounds awfully familiar. Please don't tell me it's what I think it is.** "

" **That's… that's Japanese.** "

" **Oh fuck** "

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ _Well that about concludes the first chapter of this idea I had. Please review to tell me whether this is good enough to keep going with, or if I should just scrap the whole thing._


	2. Honor Above All

_**A/N:**_ _So, if my several month hiatus didn't already make it clear, I have no idea where I'm going with this. Got some ideas, thanks to one helpful review, and hopefully will find the motivation to write at a more consistent pace eventually._

 _For reference (no English dialogue at all this chapter, but this is still here cuz why_

" **English dialogue** "

"Japanese dialogue"

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing_

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Honor Above All**

 _Wake Island. Earlier that day_

It was a relatively peaceful night in the base. Well, as peaceful as it can get on a front line military base. The stars shone in the heavens, painting the sky in patterns man could only wonder at. A soft breeze blew, carrying the salty smell of the sea that surrounded them every waking hour, both here and in their homeland. The crescent moon illuminated the island with a soft, silvery glow. However, amongst all this serenity and short lived peace, one man found himself unable to sleep.

Perhaps if he had chosen to sleep in the barracks as normal, Sen would have been able to sleep. Perhaps if he hadn't purposely avoided his comrades, and hadn't wandered aimlessly to the small beach, against curfew, but no one would ever find him, hopefully. But alas, sleep had eluded him. And Sen knew why. Something was off. Something was coming, he could feel it within his very being, somehow. And whatever it was, it something that would affect Sen's life this forever. He knew this, somehow, the same way he knew his own first name, the same way he knew he could not return from the war until he had regained his family's honor, until he made his grandfather proud. Sen wasn't quite sure he how he knew this, but he did, and his gut hadn't failed him yet in his short nineteen years of life.

Sen stifled yet another yawn, mentally scolding himself as he did so. If he truly wanted to be prepared for what was to come, it would be better if he was well rested. But alas, anticipation had left Sen unable to loosen up and rest that night, he hadn't even let down his guard.

Subconsciously, Sen's hand found itself resting on the knife he kept on his waist, gripping its handle subconsciously. It was a comforting act, so long as the knife was there, so was his father, in his last and only gift to his third son. But the knife could no better protect him than his father's dishonored memory, Sen knew. Or at least, he told himself he knew, his hand only gripped it tighter.

He glanced at the moon, not for the first time, tracking its movements across the sky. It would be morning soon, already the dimmer stars were fading from the sky, the pitch black expanse of space gradually being masked by the lightening blue of the atmosphere, and hints of brighter colors in the horizon, where the sun would soon arise.

Almost unnoticeably, Sen let out a sigh. That night had seemed to last an eternity, and yet looking back on it, it seemed to go by in the blink of an eye. He didn't know what to make of that, but supposed it didn't matter, dawn has here, and he had to make it back before he was discovered. His bunkmates wouldn't rat him out, but his superiors wouldn't be so forgiving. Best not to let them know, lest he face their wrath. Not a pleasant thought, even when he was feeling particularly important.

It was a simple matter of slipping back into the barracks to where he should have been. It was an island base after all, captured from the Americans and reinforced so they could not take it back. There were little guards watching the base itself, with the men currently on the night shift assigned to more pressing positions, watching the skies and seas for impending attack, or the POWs, should one of them try to escape. There was little chance of the latter, but one can never be too careful. When all was said and done, Sen was sitting upright in his bunk, fully dressed, and to anyone who entered at that time, looking as though he had just awoke and prepared himself for the morning drill.

Had it been an ordinary day, within the next five minutes their sergeant would have burst through the entrance, demanding they do their morning workouts and get in full uniforms before they could as much as look at the breakfast rations. But if one were to imagine a day on this base that could be considered normal, this would be the the day farthest from. To put it simply, pure chaos broke loose.

The first indication Sen had that something was wrong was when the lights suddenly turned on, at max power no less, with no indication. Not a moment later, the emergency lights on the walls began to glow red, and the deafening sound of a siren echoed through the former American barracks. Great, just great. It was an air raid.

Sen cursed under his breath as he sprung to action, already in the hallway before any of his bunkmates were on the floor, and ran outside into the humid tropical air. A quick glance to the west, the most likely direction of attack, told him the Americans were nowhere in sight. They would be soon enough. So it was only a bombing raid today. For some odd reason, Sen found himself slightly disappointed, a hollow feeling as if some promise to him had been broken suddenly. It wasn't as if raids weren't a bundle of thrills, horror, and chaos in their own way, they were still as dangerous as anything else, but by now Sen had become accustomed to combat. He had expected something different, something monumental, something… new.

Breaking into a sprint as he approached the airfield, Sen pushed these thoughts aside for another time. It wouldn't do to be distracted in the midst of a battle. Better put those on hold for when he got back, and dwell on them later. Shouts rang out as orders were given and men scrambled to get to their positions, but Sen paid them no heed. He already knew what his orders would be, no one needed to tell him twice.

He was on the runway now, running its short length to the small cluster of fighters parked at the far end. His plane was among them. It wasn't the same plane he had been assigned to when the war broke out so long ago, nor was it likely to be his last, but the _Zero_ was a good plane. A reliable one, and its sight eased Sen's barely concealed panic. At least now he could fight back. He would never be helpless again.

The plane was now in front of him, and Sen wasted no time climbing inside, seating himself in the cockpit while his hands went to the controls without so much as a glance. A quick look to the horizon revealed the enemy was getting closer. A dozen or so black dots, like the all too familiar swarms of flies on the tropical island, steadily grew larger as they neared the island. Sen grit his teeth together at this. Their small base had no radar of its own, and now was paying the price. Their enemies would be upon them just as they got into the air. A flip of a switch and the engine began its familiar hum, growing steadily louder as it sped up, drowning out the wails of the air raid sirens and the rival hums of the American heavy bombers.

Another curse, this time at himself for having stayed up all night, and potentially risking his life for no sound reason whatsoever. But as Sen's plane roared down the runway, picking up speed before finally lifting to the air and up to the approaching battle, Sen felt a jolt of energy flow through him, his muscles tensing in anticipation. Whatever was approaching, was close. Sen was vaguely aware of other planes behind him beginning to start up and move themselves, and flew an arc around the island to give them time to catch up. Only a fool charged into battle alone, and while a death in combat was honorable, a fool's death would only serve to cement his family's shame.

There were two other planes in the sky with him now, and, as they had drilled in the past, the three flew off at once towards the head of the aerial armada. A short bang erupted in the air, followed by another, and all at once the sky was filled with the sound of gunfire as the various gunners in the American planes opened fire upon them. Sen didn't return it, not yet, he didn't want to waste ammunition on something so futile. Bringing down the metal beasts was something of an art, nimbly dodging their bulkier forms while wearing them down with bursts to key positions. Firing now would serve him no purpose, and tell his enemies he was as desperate as they were. He had to be in control. Or at least, appear to be.

His prey had noticed him now, Sen noted as the bottom turret of the plane he was aimed for turned to face him, and he responded with a burst of machine gun fire. The bullets tore into the hull, although Sen could see he did no damage. His plane's size gave him the advantage here, and he quickly flew past the plane and looped around it, careful not to remain in the range of a single one of its turrets for too long. One of the American fighters, an inferior model to his sleek design, moved to interfere with the hunt. No matter, the bomber not included their particular group outnumbered it three to one, and one of his allies exchanged fire with the enemy fighter, while Sen sent a barrage of bullets into the bombers steel hull. Moving as quickly as he was, Sen could barely register where his bullets had impacted before changing direction again, narrowly avoiding another one of the gunner's attempts to bring him down, the tail gunner this time.

A loud pang erupted not far from him, and Sen looked with mild alarm as a bullet pierced the tip of his wing. His lack of sleep was leaving him sloppy, and now he was suffering the consequences. And they were running out of time too, already the Americans were over the island, and one by one metal shells began to drop from the bomb doors and down to the land below, where Sen had been just a few short minutes ago. They already felt like hours.

Sen's glance went to his knife once more, and almost instinctively he mentally asked the sacred object for its protection as he prepared to take a risk and bring the aerial goliath down before it could do more damage. He circled it once more and approached from the bottom, the plane was vulnerable while its bomb doors were still opened, and time seemed to slow down as his plane lined up with his target. The gunner on the bottom swung too slowly to intercept him, and Sen's hand tightened around the trigger, slowly beginning to squeeze it and bring down the beast. This was the moment of truth.

Which was why now, of all moments, fate decided to royally screw Sen over. The gunner, who had taken aim faster than he had anticipated, opened fire, and with a jarring explosion his engine erupted into smoke, jolting his hand off the trigger and obscuring his vision. For a single moment that seemed to last an eternity, the plane seemed to freeze midair. Then the nose turned until it was pointed downward, and Sen began to plummet. He frantically hit at the controls, desperate to eject and save himself, but it was no use. The controls had been jammed when he took that direct hit. The final few seconds stretched to hours almost, and Sen was vaguely aware that his surroundings felt, off, different somehow. And then, he was somewhere else entirely. Sen's last conscious thought was to wonder how it had managed to get dark so suddenly, and why the sea had shifted to brown and white, before everything went black.

* * *

 _In the mountains not far from North City_

When Shen awoke his world was one filled with pain. But above all else, one thought prevailed in his head. He was still alive. Something had managed to break his fall. And wherever he was, it certainly wasn't anywhere in the Pacific. The frigid air made him acutely aware of the last fact. A troubling thought, but the current priority trumped this odd turn of events. Survival.

Sen shakily moved one arm to the edge of the cockpit, wincing as he cut himself on shattered glass. He attempted to crawl towards it, but found he could not move his legs. They both felt crushed, having been trapped in the deformed metal as the plane made impact. No matter, he slowly fought through the pain as he brought his left arm to meet the right on the edge, and began the tedious task of dragging himself forwards and up. Inch by inch he heaved himself up onto the rim of the shattered cockpit, and once he was halfway over he let gravity do the rest, plummeting briefly onto the snow covered terrain below him. He winced and dared to look around him, noting it was most certainly night at the moment. Had he been out that long, or was he somewhere else in the world, somehow. Had the events earlier that day been all part of some vivid dream, with his real self passed out on the sand back on Wake Island? A jolt of searing pain from his lower body reminded him that this was not, in fact, a dream. This was all too real.

He looked up, and was surprised to find himself staring directly at an old man, who met his gaze with a hint of curiosity, mixed with some other, unidentifiable emotions. The old man knelt until he was close to his face, so close that Sen could begin to make out the individual hairs of his mustache in his hazy vision. Sen wondered for a moment what the old man planned to do, and opened his mouth to ask him, only to find he lacked the strength to speak. A soft groan escaped his lips instead, although the old man still made no move to help him, simply watching him passively.

After what seemed like an eternity, the man spoke up, although what he said made little sense to Sen, "Ah, so you _are_ still alive, I see. Impressive, for an ordinary human. You know, I'd already finished gathering my test subjects just this week, but I suppose I can't turn down one more, especially one that ever so conveniently fell from the sky so close to my lab, injured but still intact."

The old man smiled, although there was no warmth in it. Sen tried to struggle, but a single hand placed firmly on his chest was all it took to hold him firmly in place. Pathetic.

"I suppose there's no true purpose to the gesture, but I'll give it to you anyways," the old man went on, "although you'll soon forget this, my name is Dr. Gero, the greatest scientist in the once great Red Ribbon Army. You should feel excited, soon you'll be apart of the new age of this world, Android 19."*

Sen's eyes widened in both fear and confusion at this last part, and once again tried in vain to lift his arms and lash out, but a swift blow to the forehead stopped this, and once more he knew no more.

* * *

 _* Dr. Gero refers to him here as 19 here because although he has already kidnapped what will eventually be 17 and 18, he hasn't begun work on 19, so the canon 19 would become 20 here, and 20 21._


	3. Out of this World

_**A/N:**_ _This chapter picks up from where chapter 1 left off, in case anyone gets confused. We'll see more of Sen later, but his story starts some time after here._

 _For reference_

" **English dialogue** "

"Japanese dialogue"

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing_

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Out of this World**

 _Mount Paozu_

Goku blinked, staring confusedly at the two strangers, before turning back to his son briefly, "Hey Gohan, did you understand anything they said right now?"

"No dad, did you?"

"Nope. I think it might be some kind of space language, do you think we should ask them."

"Dad, you're the adult. I'm four."

"Oh yeah. I wonder what Chi Chi would say, seeing me ask my four year old son for advice. She'd be torn between scolding me and praising you!" Goku briefly allowed a small laugh to escape him, forgetting the situation, before getting back to attention. He paused briefly, as if thinking, before continuing, "Hm, lets see. How about this? Do. You. Come. In. Peace?"

"Dad, speaking slowly won't help them understand you better. They don't speak our language."

"Huh? It won't? Now what are we supposed to do? Maybe if I try shouting?"

"NO!"

"Alright, alright! Yeesh! And here I was thinking you resembled me more than Chi Chi…" The last part Goku mumbled to himself, although it was still loud enough that everyone heard him.

Goku made to try a different method, but before he could, one of the "aliens", the slightly shorter, blond one on the right, cleared his throat, "Um, where are we? Is this Japanese territory?" He spoke with a slight accent, one which Goku didn't recognize, and a quick glance to his left told him it wasn't one Gohan did either, not that Goku really expected him to. Then again, with how much Chi Chi made the kid study, you never knew…

But for now, there were pressing matters. "Huh? Japanese, what's that? You're on Earth, silly. Don't you even know what planet you crashed on?"

The blond "alien" facepalmed, muttering something in the other "language" Gohan mentioned. The second one, a slightly taller one with darker brown hair, moved to him and whispered something in his ear. Goku's ears were sharp, and he wondered why they bothered whispering. It wasn't like he could understand them anyways.

Joe, on the other hand, was completely out of the loop, and from the look on Tom's face, his friend wasn't much better off. " **Tom, what is he talking about. I may not be able to understand anything, but something seems off about this whole thing.** "

Tom didn't bother looking at Joe as he responded, keeping his eyes trained on the odd, spiky haired man in front of them, " **He's messing with us, refusing to give us straight answers. We've got to be behind lines right now, he's probably trying to stall us until local troops arrive to capture us.** "

His fellow soldier nodded sagely, dramatically pondering what he'd just been told, before smirking slightly, " **I suppose that means he won't tell us how he got his hair to stick up like that, huh?** "

" **Joe, now's not the time.** "

" **Oh, lighten up, it's always the time for a good joke.** "

Goku watched the two of them while they talked, puzzled. He couldn't understand a word of what they were saying, but their ki told him the two were on edge. Odd, he'd thought he was friendly enough, why didn't they trust him? Must be an alien thing, he decided. On that note, they weren't very exciting aliens, they looked like regular humans, and their ship was dull and didn't even work. Goku didn't know anything about what aliens were supposed to be, but from a poster he'd seen one time while visiting Bulma in West city, he'd assumed they'd have a round ships and be green. Kind of like Kami, except Kami was the guardian of Earth, not an alien.

Goku stopped his train of thought for a second, and realized he'd gotten sidetracked. What was he supposed to be doing? Oh yeah, talking to the aliens. They were looking at him funny now, maybe they were also confused he looked like them.

The smaller one cleared his throat, and Goku wondered why they bothered using that foreign language earlier if they spoke normally too. Maybe they were just shy. "Let's go back a step further." he began, "how did you find us."

"Oh!" Goku perked up, "that's easy! Me and Gohan were watching the stars, when we saw a falling star! Except it wasn't a falling star, it was you guys! Your space ship looked like it was gonna crash, so I flew up and caught it, since you guys looked like you could use some help."

"Yeah!" Gohan piped up, "your space ship was really beat up, what happened to you guys? It's like someone attacked you up there! Are there bad aliens up there, too?"

Tom groaned. He was getting nowhere fast, and he did not have time for the local humor. He vaguely acknowledged now wasn't the best time to get frustrated, but the ever growing realization that he had absolutely no idea what to do was slowly dawning on him. He at least wanted something to go on. Anything, really. And now not only were they acting like he was an alien, but talking like things like flight were perfectly normal. What did they think this was, a comic book? He spoke slowly, emphasizing each word. The fact that all the adrenaline had long since left his system, leaving Tom feeling groggy and worn out, was not helping either. "Just tell me, where are we, really? Japan? The Pacific? Did the current take us somewhere else entirely? And stop it with the flying nonsense. If you don't want to help the enemy, just tell us."

The man, who as Tom took the time to examine didn't quite match up with what he knew most Japanese people looked like, spoke up, now looking slightly confused himself, "Huh? I just told you, this is Earth. And of course I can fly I'll show you!"

He moved to do just that, and only then did Tom realize the people who'd found him were slightly delusional. Great, just great. Maybe this whole thing was just some weird fever dream. There was no way they'd managed to crash on land after plummeting straight to the ocean. If only Joe could speak to them as well. If only someone more responsible were here.

The kid stopped what Tom only now realized was his father before he could make a fool out of himself. (Sure he'd called the man "Dad" nearly a half dozen times right now, but in his defense Tom hadn't been paying attention yet). "Dad, I don't think they know where Earth is. Maybe Japan or the Pacific are planets near where they were going?"

As he observed them, Tom did have to acknowledge the two were phenomenal actors, if anything else, they seemed to genuinely believe he and Joe were aliens. Either the two had completely missed the chance to make it big in Hollywood before the war, or they were both total nutjobs. Yeah, probably the latter. Although there was something about the man Tom felt was off. Whether it was from his skin tone, or his slightly off facial features, he didn't look quite Japanese. Not that Tom was an expert in the matter. Or was seeing straight, this whole scene seemed rather off. In hindsight, Tom disregarded the useless thought on favor of something he actually needed to know.

"Can you stop it with the alien talk? I know this is Earth, and we're clearly humans. Just tell us where we are so we can find our way back to the front."

"Huh, you are?" The taller stranger replied, "But how were you falling from the sky then? You were really high up, and your ship doesn't look like anything like the ones I've seen before. Although I may have to ask Bulma about that, she's smart, so she might know what it is."

"Yeah," his son added, "and I've never heard of humans speaking any other languages but our own."

Tom sighed. Maybe they were just isolated locals, although the chance they'd managed to remain cut off in the middle of a world war was low, it wasn't impossible. There were a lot of islands in the Pacific, after all. "So, what island are we on, then."

"Huh, island? Did you hit your head when you crashed or something?" asked the taller one, who had yet to introduce himself, not that Tom had either, "we're in the middle of the woods, near Mt. Paozu."

Annnnnnd there went that theory. Crap. And the worst part was, the ever present scent of the sea Tom had become so accustomed to in his brief time in the Pacific was nowhere to be found. As ridiculous as it sounded, what the two were saying was beginning to make a slight bit of sense. Somehow. Which only left Tom even more confused, something he had not previously thought to be possible.

Joe, who had remained silent during the majority of the conversation, chose this moment to try to gain Tom's attention. He didn't try whispering this time, or saying anything for that manner, simply addressing him and gesturing frantically. After a brief moment of confusion, Tom caught on, and followed his friend's gaze, only to be left as astounded as Joe was.

The young boy had a tail. The brown, fuzzy appendage sprouting from his backside could only be called that, and its frequent shifting reminded a now astonished Tom that it was, in fact real.

Naturally, Tom did the only thing a mature adult would do in such a situation. He pinched himself in the arm. When that didn't work, he punched himself. He would have asked Joe give it a shot at waking him up, but as the pain registered Tom realized something. This was all very, very real. So he did the second thing a mature adult would do. He took several shaky steps backwards, eyes never leaving the two mysterious strangers, and reflexively drew his gun. By now unsurprisingly, the two were not alarmed by this.

"H-h-he has a tail…" Tom sputtered helplessly as he felt his grip on reality slipping like trying to hold a greased watermelon.

The man did not seem to think this was unusual in the slightest, and responded in a manner that suggested this was a mere everyday occurrence, "well yeah. I used to think all boys had tails, but later I realized it was just me. I used to have a tail, but Kami removed it a while ago, said it was a weakness or something like that. But Gohan here still has his, being my son and all."

"That's not helping! Just tell me how!"

"I dunno, I was just born with mine, Gohan too. You're right though, no one else seems to have one…"

"I suppose you were serious when you said you could fly too, then?"

"Well yeah, why would I lie about that? I've never been very good at lying, just ask Gohan! Or anyone, really…"

"Just show me, please. I need to know I'm not the only one losing it."

The man nodded once, and with the same amount of effort one would put into breathing, rose into the air. He hovered for a moment, before floating back onto the ground, a slight breeze rustling through the freshly cut grass around him as he did so.

Tom turned to Joe, and found him in the same dumbfounded state he was. " **Joe, please tell me you just saw the same thing I did.** "

" **Clear as day. Or, well, night. Stupid randomly changing daytimes.** "

" **And there's no chance this is some elaborate magic trick** "

" **I'm not sure you could even pull something like that off indoors, with the wind** "

Joe had only seen _The Wizard of Oz_ once, with his little sister back when it came out. But he knew there was only one thing to say. Or rather, the opportunity was far too perfect to miss out on. " **Tom, I don't think we're in Kansas any more** "

" **Neither one of us has even been to Kansas and you know it.** "

" **Dangit Tom, just shut up and let me make the reference, you're even more of a buzzkill than Will when he's sober** "

" **But Will's almost always sober.** "

" **My point exactly.** "

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ _And that ends my first chapter in the DBZ world. It's a bit short, but later chapters should be at least a bit longer. Just wanted to get to where the story begins, even if it's only dialogue._


	4. Suspension of Disbelief

_For reference_

" **English dialogue** "

"Japanese dialogue"

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing_

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Suspension of Disbelief**

For a while, the three simply stared at one another. Joe and Tom watched the strange man floating in front of them with a mixture of thinly disguised fear and growing confusion.

Goku, for his part, watched them with a rather blank expression on his face. He knew that it wasn't exactly normal to see people flying around, but he didn't expect people to freak about it! Especially since they'd been flying in some weird space- not a spaceship? Goku wasn't quite sure anymore. But hadn't they at least seen people flying in the previous World Tournaments? Everyone had at this point. Or so he'd thought. To his left, Gohan was watching the two strangers curiously as well, but they seemed to have forgotten their earlier shock at him.

A few seconds later, Tom mentally shook himself and took a few deep breaths. He'd been trained better than to react this way. So what if the boy had a tail? So what if his father could fly like some sort of comic book character? He was a soldier, and he needed to keep his nerves, and adapt to the situation. Tom conveniently forgot that his training had never actually taught him how to handle a situation quite this unique. No need to shatter his newfound false self confidence.

Having assured himself everything was still about as under control as was possible at the moment, Tom turned to his companion to make sure he had done the same. And then facepalmed. " **Joe,** _ **what**_ **are you doing right now?** "

Either Joe didn't hear Tom, or he didn't care. Whatever the reason, Joe didn't respond. The man was too busy gazing around him with what Tom could only describe as childish wonder. " **Joe, pull yourself together!** " Tom half shouted as he not so subtly nudged (shoved) Joe to get his attention.

At this Joe finally faced him and met his eyes, and for a moment Tom felt relief wash over him. Until the grin returned to Joe's face, and the man exclaimed, " **I've finally figured it out Tom! Don't you see? I read an article of this concept called "lucid dreaming" a while back, and i think I finally figured it out! This is all some crazy dream, I'm still back in the base sleeping and AH- John's going to kill me for sleeping in! I'm not ready to do another hundred push ups this morning! Shoot, how do I wake up for this?** "

Tom sighed, grumbling, " **I think I've had enough of this…** " and without warning punched Joe in the gut, knocking the wind out of his comrade.

Joe gasped, struggling for air, and gave Tom his best look of betrayal, " **Hey! What'd you do that for?** "

Tom shook his head, not looking at him, " **You're not in a dream, stupid. I just tried that no more than a minute ago. Why'd I have to get stranded in God knows where with the most incompetent member of the crew as my only ally?** "

" **Says the second most incompetent member of the crew.** "

" **At least I had the maturity to take charge of the situation** "

" **For once.** "

" **...yeah that's fair** "

While the two were busy arguing the proper way to handle everything they'd just seen in the past five minutes, the father and son duo watched them in silence. Finally, Gohan addressed his father. :Uh, Dad? I think we broke them."

Goku scratched the back of his head and laughed sheepishly in a manner that someone unfamiliar with him would assume to mean he was thinking. Of course, Goku was doing no such thing, and with a nervous chuckle conveyed this to his son, "Yeah, do you think it's something we said?"

"I dunno Dad, maybe it's the fact that you're flying right in front of them."

"Oh yeah, I forgot I was still in the air. Kinda got caught up in the moment." With that, Goku landed back on the ground, as he continued to figure out what exactly he should do about the current situation. After a moment or so, an idea came to him. "I know, we'll see Bulma about this! She knows all sorts of things, if anyone knows what to do, it'll be her. Now if only there were some way we could take those guys to Capsule Corp…"

Another pause, and by this time the two foreigners appeared to have calmed down and were whispering amongst themselves. Goku continued his train of thought, "Nimbus couldn't carry three people on it at once, and I don't even know if they're pure hearted enough to ride it… but maybe… that's it! I'll just have Bulma come to us!"

Gohan glanced at his father, "Dad, what are you-"

"No time Gohan gotta go I'll be back later, see ya! Nimbus!" And without waiting to listen to his son's frantic protests, the fighter leapt into the sky, where a yellow cloud zipped underneath him before carrying him off in the direction of West City.

Gohan sighed, before what had just happened caught up to him. The fact that the strangers seemed to be in trouble and his dad was with him had made Gohan feel unusually confident, but now he was back to feeling like what he really was. A shy, four year old child, who had spent his entire life sheltered in the woods with just his family. Now was not the best time to learn social skills. And now the two seemed to be looking to him for answers, with his father out of the picture. "Um… hi?"

Tom's jaw had dropped. This was it. He was done. One hundred percent. Absolutely. Done. There wasn't even a point in _trying_ to hide his surprise anymore. For what felt like the thousandth time in what couldn't even have been half an hour, the radio operator was at a complete loss for words. This was starting to become cliche. But who could blame him? The guy had just flown away on a _cloud_. Of all things, a yellow, puffy cloud.

Joe nudged him, " **Uh Tom, did he just-** "

" **Yes, Joe, yes he did.** "

" **You know, I never imagined Oz would be quite like this.** "

" **You know, maybe we did go down with our ship,** " Tom lamented, " **maybe we** _ **are**_ **dead, and all this chaos is our hell. It's the only thing that makes sense.** "

" **Nah, there's no way this is hell. I haven't seen a single clown, communist, or slice of cornbread anywhere, and believe me I've been looking.** " Joe shuddered, " **Why is it that all the worst things have to begin with the letter c? Why can't good things begin with c as well, like… cabbage. Wait no I hate that too.** "

" **Joe, is now really the time to joke around? We need answers.** "

" **A better question would be, when isn't it the time to joke around? That's a trick question by the way, the answer is never. Besides, I gave up on any of this making sense a long time ago. Figured I'd just roll with the flow and make do.** "

Tom slouched over, defeated, " **Yeah, I guess you're right on that one. Nothing we really can do at this point. The man flew of to who knows where, we're left with the kid barely older than a toddler, and I'm beginning to think we're never going to find our way home.** "

" **Aw cheer up man, at least we've got each other,** _ **and**_ **a few shots of liquor I stole off one of the officers last night. What more could we possibly ask for?** "

" **You know Joe? Sometimes I hate you. Sometimes I really do hate you.** " A brief pause followed Tom's remark, and for a moment there was sweet, blissful silence. Which was broken as always when Joe decided to open his mouth.

" **So, we gonna try talking to the kid, or…** "

" **Yeah, I suppose we should find a way to pass the time. The man did say he'd be back.** "

* * *

 _West City_

Bulma yawned. Today had been a looooooong day. First she'd woken up early to help her dad with a project, then she'd had to attend a five hour meeting between Capsule Corps' executives in what added up to a drawn out and virtually pointless debate as to where each individual asset Capsule Corp had would best be used to maximize profit for the shareholders. Naturally, in a bureaucratic fashion they had come nowhere close to a decision, and there was another meeting scheduled for tomorrow. Wonderful. And to think the government was supposed to be even more indecisive. But that wasn't all. After a very brief (get it? Brief? I'll see myself out now…) late lunch, she'd spent the rest of the day filling out backlogged reports from the previous week's surge in business, and had just now finished enough to satisfy herself on the matter. Long story short, the only thing Bulma wanted to do right about now was rest. Which is why she was _not_ happy to see a very familiar orange blur race through the sky to meet her.

"Why is it that the entire world seems to be against me?" Bulma muttered under her breath, attempting to compose herself.

"Huh?" Goku's signature look of confusion made its appearance on his face, and Bulma had to hide her smile. Some things never changed. "What'd you just say, Bulma?"

"Oh, nothing. So, what've you come f-" Bulma was cut off halfway through her question as Goku grabbed her by her arm, dragging her back towards Capsule Corp. "Goku, what in the world do you think you're doing"

Goku didn't even spare a glance behind him as he replied, "Sorry Bulma, no time to explain! Me and Gohan found these guys with a weird ship near our house and we don't know where they're from and then I thought of you and now I'm here."

Bulma paused for a second before answering that. "Goku, slow down, you're not making any sense! What do you mean by "weird ship"? And isn't Gohan the name of your grandfather? The one that died over a decade ago? What's going on?"

Goku paused, and for a moment Bulma hoped she would get answers to her questions. And like usual, she was disappointed when he simply moved onto a completely unrelated tangent. "Bulma, where did you keep your capsule plane thing again?" he asked with a sheepish grin.

Bulma groaned, " _That's_ what you were dragging me off to? I keep its capsule in my pocket at all times! You could've asked!"

"Really? Let's go then! I told Gohan but I got hungry on the way here and now I'm afraid I'll have taken too long!"

"Goku, where are we even going?"

"Mt. Paozu! Or near it, I guess. I'll tell you when I see it. Now come on!"

And so, the two headed off to greet the mysterious strangers. Or rather, Bulma unencapsulated her jet copter, climbed into the machine, and lifted it off the ground while Goku rode Nimbus impatiently in circles around it, and _then_ they began heading off into the distance, all the while Bulma yelling at Goku to give her more details than what he had provided so far, to which the fully grown man-child responded with frantic and incomplete answers. But as far as the narration is concerned, those two explanations are one and the same. Mostly. Sort of. Okay maybe not but that's not the point right now.

* * *

 _Back on Mt. Paozu, where our characters have continued their unfocused and random conversation, focusing on anything and everything but the situation currently at hand..._

"... **and that's why it's illegal to sell fried chicken in odd numbers.** "

" **Joe, is it really necessary that you tell** _ **all**_ **of the things that have ever happened in your home town? Half of this is just plain stupid.** "

" **Only half? I'm really off my game then. But wait just another minute, I haven't even told you about the time the town idiot accidentally mugged himself! The kid is going to love this!** "

" **How is that even- you are aware he can't speak our language, right?** "

" **Uh, well… hey Tom what's that thing in the sky?** "

" **As if I'm going to fall for-** " Tom's voice was drowned out by an overwhelming droning sound before he could finish his sentence, and as he turned to look to where Joe was pointing he saw there was, in fact, something massive in the sky. What could only be described as a double decker bus with two enormous wings somehow keeping it aloft was gradually lowering itself to the ground, and Tom noted with no surprise that the energetic man from earlier was hovering around it in an impatient manner, still on his colored cloud. " **You know, I used to think our B-24 was big for an airplane, but this… this takes the cake.** "

" **Yeah…** " Joe added, " **I'd say now I've seen it all, but I'm afraid I'll jinx it.** "

As they watched the vehicle, and the boy (Gohan, Tom remembered) ran back to his father, the orange clad man shouted up at the pilot of the vehicle, "Why'd you have to take the big one, anyways?"

Another voice, distinctly female, shouted back from the cockpit, although the person herself remained hidden from Tom and Joe's view, "The transport ship was the only one I had on me at the time? What, did you expect me to carry the whole fleet with me wherever I go?"

Of course, the last part of this made no sense to Tom, nor would it have to Joe had the man understood a word of it. _She's talking as if she was carrying that thing around with her like a book or something,_ he thought, _this place is making less and less sense as time goes on…_

The ship finally came to a rest on the hillside, and to Tom's relief the noise died down. Thankfully, as he was beginning to worry he'd lose his hearing. Well, not really, but Tom had spent enough time around large noisy planes for one lifetime, even if that burden wouldn't have even been half over more likely than not.

The large metal door on the front end of the plane lowered into a ramp, revealing the vast space in the belly of the oddly rectangular plane, and a single figure walked down it. As she became visible under the dim light of the moon and stars, Joe slouched. " **What have I done? I** _ **did**_ **jinx it.** "

Tom didn't even react, " **Well whaddya know, she has blue hair.** "

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ _Annnnd I spent another chapter on pure dialogue. What can I say? It's fun to write. Kinda remembered Gohan was supposed to be shy halfway through this, and came up with an explanation for it. I'm still working on fleshing out the characters, and I'm beginning to realize my writing style is sorta fluctuating based on my mood when I write. Should have the next chapter done faster than this one, though no promises, I need to get back to my other stories._


End file.
